Arkansas Softball Fact Sheet #5

This WeekThe University of Arkansas softball team faces North Texas Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Lady’Back Yard, hosting its first mid-week game in a stretch of seven straight home dates. The Lady Razorbacks continue action this weekend opening Southeastern Conference play at home with South Carolina. The three-game series begins with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. and a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
RecapArkansas won its last two games at Lady’Back Yard this past Sunday en route to a tournament victory and a 9-14 record. The Lady’Backs were 4-2 on the weekend defeating Louisiana-Monroe and Northern Iowa twice and also dropping a game to each of the teams.
Dixon homers three timesFreshman Miranda Dixon hit three home runs and was 7-for-7, helping the Lady Razorbacks to two victories in the final day of the Holiday Inn Express-Arkansas Invitational at Lady’Back Yard. Dixon put Arkansas up 6-5 against Northern Iowa with a two-run shot on two outs in the fifth inning. Against ULM she hit a lead-off home run in the fourth inning to bring the Lady’Backs within one run of the Warhawks, and homered again in the seventh to put the Lady’Backs up 8-4. Dixon had seven hits, seven RBIs and four runs on the day. She also marked a new Lady’Back Yard record, hitting two home runs in a game.
Fanning the OpponentWith SEC play opening Saturday, junior Katy Henry is third in the conference in strikeouts with 106. Tennessee’s Monica Abbott leads the way with a commanding 233 K’s while Auburn’s Anna Thompson is second with 125. South Carolina’s Melissa Hendon is right behind Henry with 102.
Leading the WayFreshman Jessica Bachkora continues to lead the Lady’Backs with a .387 batting average. She has a team-high 29 htis, five doubles, two triples, and 12 stolen bases.
Top ThievesBachkora and senior Rachel LeMaster lead the team in stolen bases. Bachkora is a perfect 12-for-12, and LeMaster is 11-for-14. The Lady’Backs have 29 stolen bases as a team.
Huckabee’s Home RunsJunior Dayna Huckabee tied the career home run record March 4 against Louisiana-Monroe with her 11th career home run and her fourth of the 2007 season.
Lady’Backs Break Home Run RecordAgainst Louisiana-Monroe March 4, Arkansas broke the record for most home runs in a single game with three. The previous record was two.
Run Rachel RunRachel LeMaster is approaching the career stolen bases record of 72 by Dana Gulick. LeMaster currently sits second with 64 stolen bases.
About North TexasNorth Texas has a 3-16 record after going 0-5 at the Great Western Downtown Plaza Classic in Tulsa, Okla., and is on a 13-game losing streak. The Mean Green are led by senior Susan Waters who is hitting .364 with a team-high 20 hits, five home runs and 10 RBIs.
Versus the Mean GreenThe Lady’Backs meet North Texas Tuesday for the first time in school history.
About South CarolinaSouth Carolina swept a doubleheader against Pittsburgh Sunday. Kate Pouliot (10-1) threw a one hitter and earned her 10th victory on the season. The Gamecocks improved to 18-3. South Carolina plays a midweek doubleheader against Coastal Carolina before coming to Fayetteville for the Southeastern Conference opener Saturday.
Versus the GamecocksSouth Carolina leads the all-time series 18-9 and won the last doubleheader in Columbia in 2006, 3-0, 1-0.
Bachkora breaks school recordFreshman Jessica Bachkora broke the school record for most triples in a single game on Feb. 25 against Missouri. Bachkora hit two triples, breaking the previous record of one. Over the weekend she had four hits, including a double and the two triples, six runs and four RBIs.
Hitting StreaksSenior Rachel LeMaster and Bachkora both started the season with a six-game hitting streak. The streaks ended against third-ranked Texas A&M, Feb. 16.
Preseason PredictionsArkansas was selected to finish fourth in the SEC Western Division. The Lady’Backs received 37 points trailing LSU with 14 points, Alabama with 15 points and Auburn with 30 points. Tennessee was unanimously voted as the overall champion with 10 votes while Florida received one vote.
New Faces on the FieldThe returning letterwinners are joined this season by eight new faces. Freshmen Jessica Bachkora (Overland Park, Kan.), Hannah Cicioni (Rogers, Ark.), Miranda Dixon (Edmond, Okla.), Teighynne Hulsey (Edmond, Okla.), Jess Reed (Fayetteville, Ark.), Brittany Robison (Owasso, Okla), Jessica Waddle (Chickasha, Okla.) and sophomore-transfer Dara Clark (Farmington, Ark.) all compete for playing time in 2007.
2008 SigneesAmanda Caldwell of Victoria, Texas, Lauren Chisom a Bentonville, Ark. native, Leslie Dixon from Edmond, Okla., Lauren Iverson of Grove, Okla., Emily Jones a Joplin, Mo. native, Kim Jones from Lenexa, Kan., Jacey Juden of Arkansas City, Kan., and Wynne, Ark. native Layne McGuirt signed national letters of intent to play softball at Arkansas and officially become part of the Lady’Back program in the 2007-08 academic year.